charles000
A truly gripping film, but difficult to watch. Samantha Morton and Michael Shannon are absolutely perfect in their roles, the casting could not have been better. That's not to make light of Charlie Tahan or Natasha Calis, who fit their roles perfectly as well.But to watch this film unfold, it's going to be a rough ride. No horror or gore here, but something much worse . . . a fanatical, deranged mother, who also happens to be a doctor, determined to have her way with her ill, handicapped child, to the point of excruciating cruelty to serve her own warped agendas.Joan Crawford's "Mommy Dearest" meets Kathy Bate's "Misery" doesn't even come close to this lunatic witch mother, and the weird lunacy that becomes apparent as the story unfolds. The film starts off a bit slowly at first, but quite appropriately fills in the various characters and their life situations before the darker sides begin to appear . . . and appear they do.No spoilers here, and other reviewers here have already recited most of the relevant major plot points.What is relevant to note here, though, is that this is a rare example of a film that does not need any gratuitous horror props and simplistic formulae to deliver a compelling story. The quality of the acting, and what actually transpires is more than enough, perhaps because this is a story that really could happen in the real world, and the characters portrayed are spot on in depicting just what such a scenario might be like.Be warned, though, this is not for the faint hearted. Trust me on this one . . .Maybe not quite a ten, but a very solid 8 stars.
drpakmanrains
This has turned out to be one of my favorite thrillers in recent years. Repeated viewings with friends have reinforced my opinion, as all have really praised and liked the film. I have realized that some of my early doubts about whether the dialogue had errors was because some references related to events the film had not yet revealed. The only reason i didn't give this a 10 is because both the DVD case and the "page" where you press "play film" have a picture that ABSOLUTELY shouldn't be seen before viewing the film, for maximum impact. The twists in this film during the second half are terrific and terrifying, and those who say they saw it coming from way off must be clairvoyant, for I sure was caught by total surprise. I love "horror" or "thriller" films that stay close to reality, rather than those that deal with demons, religious curses, and monsters that don't resemble anything that has ever been seen on the planet. This one absolutely does, and anyone who says this is like a "Lifetime Movie" would have to list some that compare to this, as I sure haven't seen any.
Leofwine_draca
CAN'T COME OUT TO PLAY - originally titled THE HARVEST - is a great example of movie mis-selling. Looking at the DVD box you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was a supernatural horror either about psychopaths, devil worship, or an evil entity residing inside a family home. In reality it's about none of those things, rather this is a psychological thriller about a couple of maladjusted parents and the disabled and lonely son they care for.The film is directed by John McNaughton, who made the infamous HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER back in the 1980s. That was an example of edgy, independent film-making, whereas CAN'T COME OUT TO PLAY is strictly by-the-numbers Hollywood fare. I was mainly interested in watching it because Michael Shannon plays the father, although he doesn't have very much to do here other than play the usual kooky character and he's a bit more restrained than usual. By contrast, I wish Samantha Morton had been more restrained; her character is larger than life here and her acting suffers for it.The film is quite slow paced although the child angle of the story is refreshing and reminded me of THE SECRET GARDEN, of all things, at some points. Sadly it gets less and less believable as it goes on, closing with one of those ridiculously contrived and clichéd climaxes that Hollywood knows and loves. It's a sour end for a film which occasionally promises much but delivers nothing out of the ordinary.
Michael Radny
The Harvest came out of nowhere for me. It's a film about power and deception, which makes for a truly fantastic film. This film gets well under your skin, making it a very effective psychological thriller, NOT a horror. The one thing I truly love about this film is that it gets straight to the point. It starts off fast, there is no filler, every scene has a point and the finally is epic and perfectly paced.The Harvest really did surprise me. With such low user ratings, I was expecting something overly pretentious or just plain bad; both of these it was not. If there could be one criticism it would be the lack of suspense leading up to the unveiling, but other than that, nothing is at fault.
AD
